


Unlife after Death, My Love Never Returned

by Elydy138



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memory Loss, Multi, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:20:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elydy138/pseuds/Elydy138
Summary: In a world where the land is shared between several clans of witches and wizards.Keith is the guardian and protector of his Matriarch's Clan, Allura.Caught in an ambush and killed in the fighting, he is brought back to life by Allura.however, a lot have changed.And now, the clan of the Blades of Marmora want to seal an alliance by a marriage.While Keith volunteered, he doesn't expect what he's going to find at the end of the road.
Relationships: Allura/Lotor/Lance, Keith/shiro
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Unlife after Death, My Love Never Returned

**Author's Note:**

> This whole fic happened because of one idea I had, and now I need to create a context xD  
> Have fun reading!  
> I'll add tags as I write, I don't know what it's going to be yet

Allura is a powerful witch. Some even called her “Goddess of Life''. She has brought back from the edge of madness her partner, Lotor. She has saved her closest friend, Lance, from a fatal wound.

Some say she has been blessed by the Oriande, an ancient civilization well-versed into magic in all its form and shape.

  
  


But with Keith? It has been something else. On the brink of death, caught into an ambush in enemy territory. When they finally found him, he was gone. Allura used her most secret powers to bring him back. She dragged his soul back to a new body, and then nurtured him back to life.

When Keith opened his eyes, he immediately felt that something was different. Allura stayed with him, explaining to him what had happened and what she had to do.

“Keith, I… I hope you will forgive me…”

“Forgive you? Why?” he asked, blunt as always.

It took her by surprise, thinking he was mad at her.

“I… I couldn’t let you go… and I… forced you to come back after… you were dead but I couldn’t…”

“Allura.”

She jumped, startled. Keith looked at her with his purple eyes, though Allura could see sparkles of her magic in his iris.

“I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?”

“Why would I be mad? You saved me.”

She hesitated for a moment. But he took her hands gently and held them between his.

“It’s okay, Allura.”

A few tears rolled down her cheeks. Her thumbs brushed Keith’s hands, soft touches, reassuring.

Then she nodded, looked at him directly.

“I’ll help you adapt to this new body. Because I don’t know for sure how I managed to transfer your soul, so we have to keep monitoring your evolution.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t feel like himself yet, he could feel how foreign this new body was to him.

With time, he thought it would pass.

Sadly, it didn’t.

  
  


Keith sits down when the analysis is over, waiting for Allura and Coran to tell him the results.

“There’s nothing wrong with his nerve system,” Coran says after a while.

Allura pouts angrily, looking over and over the results.

“He doesn’t react to smell and doesn't sense anything with his touch, how can you tell nothing is wrong?”

“Well, the facts are there, Allura. Physically, he’s fine. It might either be psychological or a residual effect of the soul transfer.”

They ponder about it a moment, before Keith just shrugs and pats Allura’ shoulder.

“It’s alright. It doesn’t hinder my job anyway. Don’t worry.”

She seems to hesitate, but eventually, she gives in.

“Are you sure? We can look into it a bit more…”

“You’ve been at it for months, Allura. If there was something to find, you would have found it a long time ago. So don’t worry about it anymore.”

Very reluctantly, she agrees with him. Coran gives her a sympathetic look, and to Keith, a knowing nod.

“I’ll go back to work now. Thank you for your time, Allura. And Coran.”

And with a polite bow, he leaves the room.

Allura looks at him as he disappears behind the doors. Coran gently pats her shoulder.

“The boy is right, Allura. You’ve done everything you could to help him.”

“I know… I just can’t help but feeling like I’ve failed him… he has done so much for me and I… I can’t even do that right.”

“He would remind you that you brought him back to life. That is no small feat.”

She chuckles at that, because yes, Keith has reminded her over and over and over again, how she saved his life. That she doesn’t have to feel guilty for anything.

“Alright, fine,” she sighs, defeated.

“How about you take some rest now? You definitely need it.”

She agrees, and suddenly she vanishes from the room.

Teleports into her room, right above her bed.

Lotor and Lance aren’t even startled when she crashes between them.

“Welcome back, sleep well,” Lance says with a giggle.

“Sweet dreams, my Queen,” Lotor whispers to her as he kisses her head.

She hums quietly, and moments later she’s asleep.

Nothing more can be done, she thinks as her mind falls into slumber.

  
  


Keith, on the other hand, is laying down on the ground in the gardens. His favorite spot, hidden behind one of the bridges used to link the different areas of the royal gardens.

He can’t feel the grass between his fingers, or the soil beneath his back. At first it was really weird but now he’s used to it. He can’t smell weak scents, which is only troubling if someone tries to poison them. But Allura has other bodyguards that could fill this spot for him.

He stares at the night sky, his thoughts wandering.

Suddenly, a familiar face springs into his view. He doesn’t even flinch.

“Hello, Mr. Zombie!”

“Katie.”

“Hey! I told you to not call me like that!”

“And I asked you not to call me a zombie. So I guess we’re even, Pidge.”

She huffs, faking a pout, but when she sits down next to him, she’s smiling again.

“How did it go with Allura and Coran?”

“Exactly like last time. Nothing is wrong but I can’t feel anything. Allura worries too much.”

“Well, she’s technically not wrong here. The fact you’ve lost your sense of touch is worrisome, it means the artificial body wasn’t fully functional.”

“As long as I can walk and work, who cares?”

“I freaking care! Keith, you’ve always been detached and distant from the world around you, but now it’s getting worse.”

“How much worse?” he huffs.

“Worse enough for Matt to notice.”

“Oh.”

“So yeah, that bad, Keith.”

The young man hums, thoughtful.

“I didn’t feel that different.”

Pidge sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Of course not. For that you would need to stop for a second and do some introspection.”

“What do you mean?” he huffs.

“Keith, you died, and not even once you talked about it.”

“And?”

Another sigh, more upset this time.

“I can’t believe you, I swear.” she slaps him behind his head, and he hisses. “You don’t feel it, stop the act.”

He shoots her a mean glance, but she isn’t impressed at all.

“Just because I can’t feel it…”

“Keith, your psyche needs to heal. You might not want to talk about it, but I’m pretty sure that might be one of the problems as to why this body isn’t entirely operational…”

“Listen, I don’t want to talk about it, okay? First, I don’t remember anything, and second, it’s not going to change anything! So why even bother?!”

And with that, he jumps on his feet and stalks away from his friend, not listening to her anymore.

He walks in deeper in the gardens, avoiding any person taking a stroll there and going into the most isolated parts. He wants peace and quiet, that’s all he was asking.

He doesn’t want to think about his death, or his state when Allura found him.

He died, end of this story. Now he’s alive in another body that wasn’t entirely functional? Well he could still walk and talk and see, so where was the problem? He didn’t complain about it, so why was everyone so keen on finding out what was wrong with him?

He stays hidden in the garden for so long, that he barely notices the dawn coming. He looks at the horizon, where the suns are shyly coming into view, and he huffs at them.

He doesn’t sleep anymore. More time for ruminating, apparently.

Keith feels a presence behind him, but he immediately recognizes her. Not even a hesitation.

“Allura.”

“Keith.”

She comes and sits down beside him. She doesn’t talk, just watches the suns appearing from behind the mountains far away.

They don’t talk, sometimes they don’t need to. Whatever power Allura has used to bring him back connected them in some way. She can glimpse at his thoughts and he always knows when she’s near or in danger. A sixth sense, but only between them.

And right now, Keith knows that Allura is brainstorming ideas on how to bring him to talk.

“Just speak,” he finally sighs.

“Ka… Pidge told me about… your discussion, earlier.”

He stays silent, listening.

“I didn’t think it was upsetting you this much. I’m sorry, I should’ve listened to you instead of my own worries.”

“You don’t have to feel guilty.”

“I should have listened to you.”

She leans in and rests her head on his shoulder. He stays still, though she can feel him relax slightly.

“Thank you, Keith.”

“For what?”

“For being here. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we had lost you that day.”

There’s quiet, but comfortable silence for a moment.

Both contemplating thoughts and memories.

Then Keith smiles.

“Thank you for bringing me back.”

  
  


Months went by, and Keith has grown used to his new body. He’s faster, stronger, and overall deadlier than he’s ever been before. Coran said that the body is unbound from the limitations imposed by the brain, so Keith can exploit his strength to the fullest of his capabilities.

Now Pidge affectionately calls him “Super Zombie”. Which he doesn’t take as an insult, but still messes her hair up when she does it.

However, he does follow her advice (without admitting it to her though) and talks with Allura of what happened. It always stays between them, and never shared with anyone else.

Which made Keith appreciate his friendship with Allura only more.

Hence why Keith seems a lot more at peace and less… murdery.

He stands beside Allura as he always did, silent protector of the Clan’s Matriarch, Allura, and her husband, Lotor. Both are also protected by Lance, their lover and a great sniper.

Sometimes Lance teases Keith for being so serious about his job, but Keith doesn’t always answer to his “provocations”. Especially because he knows Lance is as much involved in his role as him.

He once saw Lance kill a man with a single needle, piercing the entire skull without effort.

While Keith is more about daggers and swords.

Different style.

Keith likes his life the way it is now, and despite everything, he wouldn’t change anything.

He has no regrets from his previous life.

Now he just wants move on.

  
  


One day, Allura summons Keith and Lance. They have no idea on what this is about, but when they get into Allura’s office, they find her and Lotor looking quite grim.

“What happened?” Lance asks immediately, worried.

“We received a letter from a wizard clan of the North,” Lotor says.

“They want an alliance with us, promising to support us in our fight against the Galra.”

“What’s the catch?” Keith guesses.

“They want to arrange a marriage to seal the alliance.”

Lance immediately reacts.

“But you’re already married to Lotor? How could they ask that from you?!”

“It’s notoriously known that wizards can have several partners, so it’s not entirely surprising,” Lotor says with a shrug.

Keith looks at Allura, noticing how troubled she seems, something between upset and puzzled and concerned.

She feels his eyes on her. They stare at each other for a moment, until Allura finally sighs, and turns away.

“That’s not all of it, is it?” Keith guesses.

He sounds indifferent, as if nothing about this whole thing is concerning. Allura glances quickly before looking away.

“No, it’s not all they asked.”

“Spit it out, we’re not going to spend all day here.”

“Hey! Watch your language, Mullet!” Lance hisses, though he looks more and more anxious.

Keith doesn’t reply to Lance, knowing it only would add fuel to his anxiety. He keeps staring at Allura, suddenly feeling uneasy, but he doesn’t express just it yet.

She exchanges a look with Lotor, and her shoulders fall a bit.

“Alright,” she breathes.

She sits down at her desk, her expression serious.

“They have asked for the best warrior of our clan.”

As Allura’s words sink down, Keith and Lance slowly realize what this means. They look at each other, sharing the same feeling of shock and dismay.

“What?! What the heck is that condition?!” Lance snaps.

“Lance…”

“Why would they ask that? They must know that only Keith and I have the title of warriors, that we are the ones protecting you! What if…”

“Lance, calm down,” Keith sighs, putting his hand on Lance’ shoulder.

“But…”

He pats his shoulder again, with a smile that Lance rarely sees.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go.”

“Keith!”

“Are you sure?” Allura asked, both concerned and relieved.

Keith snarls, resigned to the bitter truth.

“Would you rather send Lance? Knowing him, they’ll drag him back here before the end of the month.”

Lance huffs, offended, but he can’t find anything to retort so he just stands there, looking angry and upset.

“Keith, I don’t want you to think we would sacrifice you for the clan," Allura insists.

He stays silent, but they all can see the seed of self-depreciation in his eyes.

Lotor lets out a sigh. He walks to him, putting his hands on Keith’ shoulders.

“Listen, we haven’t agreed on anything with them, and we have time before we decide. Even if we end up sending you there, it would be as a last resort only. We are not giving you up, and we will not abandon you.”

Allura and Lance nod in agreement, fierce and determined.

Keith feels a bit embarrassed, but relieved too. Lotor lets him go with a nod.

“I know you’ve always felt like you owed us something, Keith. But we’re a family,” Allura says to him. “You’re not less important than any of us here.”

Lance playfully swings his arm around Keith’ shoulders.

“Like Allura said.”

Keith shrugs him off, but a shadow of a smile remains on his face.

They all know the issue won’t be solved that easily, but Allura and Lotor are gifted diplomats, so Keith trusts them. And he’s ready to step in for his clan if it comes to it.

He would do it with pride and without hesitation.

Because they are his family.

  
  


  
  


A week passes, and the meeting with the clan of the North finally happens.

Allura and Lotor welcome the leaders of the Blades of Marmora clan, Keith and Lance at their side.

The talks aren’t always smooth, with Lotor’s fiery temper sometimes, but Allura always manages to calm everyone down.

In the end, they agree on some terms, but the marriage is still mandatory. Not because it has a huge significance for the Blades, as they inform Allura, but because it’ll allow them to use that union as an anchor. This way, theirs and Allura’s clan would be linked and can tap into each other’s magic. The fact that it has a logical reason doesn’t make it easier to comply, but again, Keith steps in and informs the Blades he’ll be the one filling this role. They nod in agreement, and Allura reluctantly accepts. The wedding is to be held secretly, so Keith needs to go back to the Blades’ settlement for a certain period of time. Allura and Lotor hesitate, and their worry is obvious.

The Blades’ leader, a tall and large man named Kolivan, tells them that Keith is to be a medium and a messenger, not a hostage. Which does reassure the Matriarch, but not entirely.

And as soon as the meeting is over, Keith is packing his belongings. He doesn’t have much to start with, so it's quick work. He doesn’t linger with goodbyes, though Allura barely keeps herself from crushing him into a hug before he leaves.

Lotor pats his shoulder and whispers a prayer. Lance stifles a sob as he waves his hand towards Keith.

“You’re too emotional, Mc Clain.”

“Shut up, Mullet. Don’t get killed on the way.”

Keith rolls his eyes and slaps Lance on the arm.

“Don’t get sloppy, dumbass.”

They share a smile in the end, and with a final bow, he leaves with the Blades.

  
  


The trip is quick and silent, the Blades aren’t very talkative. Keith doesn’t mind though.

When they arrive at the settlement, Kolivan takes Keith to the main building. He explains to him how his clan works, what their rituals are and what role Keith is going to take there.

He listens carefully, a bit intrigued.

“So I’ll just fight among your rank like any other recruits?” he finally asks after Kolivan has gone silent.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Absolutely not. I missed the battlefield,” he replies with honesty.

A spark of satisfaction crosses Kolivan’s expression, before his face returns to a stern and cold mask.

“Good. From what Matriarch Allura told us, you’re their best fighter. I believe you’ll know how to handle yourself out there.”

“I will.”

There’s no doubt in his voice, and Kolivan notices it.

“I’ve heard about your… situation. Killed in an ambush and brought back to life by your Matriarch? Is that true?”

“Yes,” is all Keith says.

Kolivan hums thoughtfully, then nods.

“Do not hesitate to talk to our healers, should you need anything specific. They will provide you as much as our clan can give.”

“Thank you.”

They stare at each other for a moment, before Keith cuts eye contact, and asks, almost embarrassed.

“What about the union?”

The Blade Leader barely stifles his grin.

“I wanted to wait a few days before speaking of this matter, but since you’re the one asking…”

He motions to Keith to follow him, and Keith does so.

They go into what Keith recognizes as a training ground, and there, sees a lot of soldiers and warriors gathered in a circle, surrounding an improvised arena. He watches the fight while Kolivan starts talking.

“As Warriors in a wizard clan, you’ve been imbued with the magic of your Matriarch and her companion. By connecting this energy to one of our own Warriors, we will be able to use this link to gather more magic from both of our clans.”

“How are we going to do that? I’m not even sure I can gather magic.”

“It’s a faculty our clan has, so you don’t have to do anything. The ritual that will link your soul to his and that connection is used by our Matriarch to channel magic. From then she can gather and store it into artifacts, to be used as weapons or protection.”

Keith processes this information, but one in particular sticks out.

“His?”

“Our best warrior is indeed a man. And close to your age, as well. Is that inconvenient?”

“Not at all. I was just curious.”

“Shirogane escaped from the Galra a year ago, and has been relentless in his effort to defeat them. I believe you and him have that in common.”

“I guess. Where is he?” Keith asks as he stares at the crowd. He has guessed that Kolivan has brought him here to meet that “Shirogane”.

“Where any Champion would be. In the arena,” Kolivan grins, and there’s certain pride in that smile.

Keith’s eyes trail off on the silhouette fighting in the ring.

A man is easily defeating his opponents with swift and strong moves, muscular body covered in scars. His right arm is a bionic one, and Keith can see the power surging through it. He stands in the middle of the ring like he owns it, like it’s his playground. Keith can see how others carefully enter the fighting circle, only to get thrown away a few seconds later. That man is not only a great warrior, he’s also a killing machine. Keith can see how he could easily break his opponents, but doesn’t do so because it’s probably just training.

However Keith sees it. It’s like… seeing a beast in a cage but this one owns the key. He’s dangerous. And for the first time in a very long time, Keith is glad to not be on the wrong side.

Just as the thought crosses his mind, suddenly a pair of silver eyes locked onto his.

Keith freezes on the spot.

Something in these eyes shake a weird feeling in the back of his mind. But he can’t quite put his finger on it.

The man breaks the circle of the improvised arena and runs toward Keith and Kolivan. He slows down as he approaches them, giving a polite salute to Kolivan. Then he turns to Keith, and stares at him for a moment. Eyes uncertain, doubtful, afraid, even.

“Keith…? Is that you?” the man whispers, his voice hoarse and trembling.

“Hum, yes? I… uh, glad to meet you?” Keith replies, hesitant.

The man, Shirogane, sucks in a sharp breath, as if punched in the chest. He looks at Kolivan, almost panicked.

“Keith, this is Shirogane Takashi, the Champion of our clan. Shiro, this is Keith Kogane, the Matriarch’s Protector.”

Keith politely bows, but his eyes can’t seem to be able to not look at this man.

Shiro stares at Keith as if he just saw a ghost. It doesn’t last long however, but Keith is really puzzled by it.

“I have to see the Matriarch, so we can settle the ritual. In the meantime, I’ll let you two… talk things out.”

Keith and Shiro nod in agreement, and Kolivan leaves them quickly.

They stand in front of each other awkwardly for a moment. Keith doesn’t know what to say.

Then Shiro sighs and it startles him.

“I can’ believe that after all this time, you were just…” he says, but trails off.

“What do you mean?” Keith finally asks, unable to reign in his curiosity.

“I thought you died, Keith! And now you’re just… here, and…”

That only confuses him more.

“Did you… did you know me?”

“Keith, this isn’t funny,” Shiro sighs, upset.

“I’m not… I mean I’m serious. Do I know you?”

And that’s when it strikes Shiro. Keith sees it, the moment where the man realizes something.

His large hands grab Keith’ shoulders and his eyes are staring holes in his skull.

“Keith, do you really not remember me?”

“I’ve never met you, how could I remember you?”

Shiro hisses sharply and releases Keith as he steps away from him. His expression is troubled, sad, painful. Keith feels like he wants to hug that man, but… why would he feel that? He doesn’t… know him…

For a moment that seems to last an eternity, Shiro looks away from Keith, avoiding him for as long as he can. Another deep sigh, defeated and pained, and Shiro turns to Keith.

But his eyes are locked, guarded.

“Let me show you around,” Shiro says, and even his voice is politely cold, obviously putting distance between them.

He walks by Keith without waiting for his answer, and Keith finds himself wanting to catch his arm to hold him back.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he silently follows Shiro, and it seems like a part of him is breaking again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, don't hesitate to leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts on this ^^


End file.
